


In Our Hands

by Palatinedreams



Category: Perry Rhodan - Various Authors
Genre: Anal Sex, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Memories, Past, Reference to historical events, based on 'In Our Hands' from the band 'Lord of the Lost', bittersweet mood, farewell and a new start, inspired by a song
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:27:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28338453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Palatinedreams/pseuds/Palatinedreams
Summary: Perry Rhodan and Atlan celebrate the start of a new year in a special way as they renew their strong bond as not only friends, but lovers as well.
Relationships: Atlan da Gonozal/Perry Rhodan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	In Our Hands

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Susamo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Susamo/gifts).



> Happy birthday, my dear Susamo!!!!
> 
> I hope that you have a wonderful birthday with your loved ones. May the next year be a wonderful and good one for you, I wish you all the happiness in the world and most of all health and that it will be a much better one than the last one has been for all of us.
> 
> I really wanted to write a special story for you for your birthday, I hope that this one is not too melancholic. The title and story are inspired by the song _**'In Our Hands'**_ from the band _**Lord of the Lost**_ I listened to white writing this story for you. I find this song to be very fitting in our hope that the next year will hopefully be a good one, and better than the one we will soon say goodbye to.
> 
> This story takes place somewhere after the KdZ cycle (Cycle of the Constructors of the Center), and Mory Rhodan-Abro's death, but I didn't give it a fix date on purpose. Perry Rhodan starts to call Atlan 'Beuteterraner' when he wants to provoke him after the Masters of the Isle cycle when they learn that the Arkonides and Akones are actually descendants of the 'First Mankind', the Lemurians which had to flee from Earth when they lost the war against the Haluter. I don't think that there is actually a term in English expressing what 'Beuteterraner' actually means in German, and I went with the word to word translation, even though it is not really the same.
> 
> I hope that you'll enjoy this story, my dear!!!

“Here you are.”

Perry Rhodan stepped onto the balcony to stand next to his friend and lean against the railing. It was a starry night, the night breeze soft despite the fact that it was winter here within these latitudes of middle Europe.

Atlan still possessed several houses and estates on Earth, even though his position as the Lord Admiral of the USO didn't leave him much time to visit any of them and spend much time on Earth. Perry had needed some time to find the right one of the houses to which his friend had withdrawn after the official celebration that had taken place in Terrania to welcome the new year, and he'd only been able to get access to this information because Atlan had apparently wanted his friend to find him.

Perry was the only one with the necessary high level security clearance to pay the Arkonide a surprise visit without having to announce his arrival beforehand, but the Terranian with the dark-blond hair and the gray eyes suspected that his friend had already awaited him – as the other man didn't even flinch as he joined him on the balcony now.

The ten-thousand-year-old Arkonide didn't acknowledge his arrival with any visible sign though, he just remained in his bent forward position, staring into the darkness with unseeing eyes, his forearms resting on the railing and his elegant fingers loosely entwined in a comfortable way. His right leg was bent in the knee, his toes braced against the wooden balcony floor. His posture was casual and seemingly relaxed, but Perry could grasp the tension radiating from his friend after the long time they already knew each other.

The Terranian leaned with his back against the railing to regard the white-haired immortal for a moment, taking in the sight of his appearance. Atlan continued to ignore him, but the tension between his shoulder blades smoothed out ever so slightly under Perry's thoughtful scrutiny. The Arkonide did not wear his usual light USO-uniform any longer, but clothes Perry had never seen on him before tonight, some kind of long white shirt with short sleeves that reached down to the middle of his strong-muscled thighs and accentuated his tanned skin in a very appealing way. A brown-colored leather belt was slung around his slim waist, and a broad purple band was seaming the hem of the shirt. His footwear looked like a combination of sandals and boots, made of the same brown leather as the belt, laces encircling his calves to keep the weirdly looking sandals in place.

Perry frowned, and it took him a moment before he recognized Atlan's unusual outfit as ancient Roman clothing. He let his gaze travel over the figure of his friend, and when his eyes fixed on his friend's profile questioningly, the Arkonide said into the darkness surrounding them, still not meeting Perry's eyes:

“The colors of this tunic were reserved for Roman senators and military commanders with the rank of a legate or higher.”

“I see.” Perry turned around at last to adopt the same posture and look at the dark line of tall trees in the distance as well. “Memories again?” he asked quietly, thinking that it was actually the same for him. 

Saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the new one was always the time of a farewell and a new start, and those special couple of days always let memories – good and bad ones – rise to the surface of his mind as well. Perry didn't have a photographic memory like Atlan, but the countless hypno sessions he'd gone through had trained his memory, and it took more than a lifetime to forget the ones he'd loved and lost – just like it must be for Atlan. 

Before he and Perry had met, Atlan had always known right from the beginning of a friendship or love that he would lose them again, that his friends and loves would age while he didn't, and that he would be the one having to bury them in the end. Living with such knowledge made loving a mortal human being bittersweet at best and always a painful experience. Both men knew that there was only one thing in the universe that never changed, and which none of them would ever gain control of.

Time would always pass by, no matter what else would happen. Sometimes, galactic civilizations reached a level of knowledge and technology that they could travel through time, accelerate it or slow it down for a certain time span, but no one would ever manage to bring time to a full stop.

Perry had wished deep in his heart quite a few times that he could stop time from passing by to keep his loves close, and he was sure that it was the same for his friend. Atlan had been quiet and in a melancholic mood the whole evening, and it was likely that something had triggered one of the memories he'd stuffed away because it was too painful to remember. The Arkonide had an iron self-control, and he was good at suppressing the flashbacks of such memories under normal circumstances, but this had obviously not been the case today, and so Atlan had withdrawn to a place where he could let his guard down and give in to the emotions these mental 'time-travels' aroused in him.

“It happened not far away from here. The slaughtering. Even six years later, it was still terrible to see the evidence of what one man had been able to do to three proud Roman legions. We buried as many of the bones as we could.” Atlan's voice trailed off, and Perry wrecked his brain to grasp which historical event his friend was referring to.

“Varus? The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest?” he finally asked, and the Arkonide nodded his head.

“Yes. He'd lost his younger brother in that bloody battle. We searched for the mortal remains of his brother for three days – for as long as the battle had lasted until more than fifteen thousand men were dead, butchered by Arminius' Teutons. He didn't sleep during those three days, he didn't eat. I could make him drink some water, but that was all.”

Perry swallowed. There weren't any words that could offer real comfort, not in the same way his mere presence did as he knew so well from his own painful experiences and memories.

“Did you find them?” was all he inquired softly after a short moment of silence, and Atlan slowly nodded his head. 

“Yes, we did. We buried them, and he and I also belonged to the small group of carefully chosen officers and legionaries who retrieved the lost Eagle of his brother's legion and brought it back where it belonged. It couldn't ease the pain in his heart, but at least it helped to give him some peace of mind back.”

“Will you tell me more about him?” Perry asked, his throat tight with sympathy for the astonishing man standing next to him. Decades had passed since they had last been more than just best friends, united in their goal to protect the galaxy and especially the Solar Empire, both of them committed to their respective duties and tasks and other partners. Perry had been married to Mory, her death still feeling like a deep wound when he was too tired to keep his inner walls up and in place, and he knew that Atlan was still grieving his doomed love to Factor I of the Masters of the Isle - Mirona Thetin – now and then deep in his heart, even after the many, many years that had passed since he'd been forced to fight against her and defeat her. 

For years, being just friends had been enough for both of them, but the love and passion they had shared long ago was still there, hidden inside their hearts and lingering in the back of their minds, not in the focus of their attention, but always there and palpable. Perry looked at the Arkonide, and he knew with a sudden certainty that the long wait would come to an end tonight. Tonight, they would become lovers again, and the tingling of anticipation and joy warming him from the inside was welcome and promising.

This was the reason why Atlan had withdrawn to this secret place, one of his shelters from the world and his duties. He'd waited for Perry to find him and come to him, and tonight they wouldn't be the Lord Admiral of the USO and the Grand Administrator of the Solar Empire, tonight they would just be Perry and Atlan, two immortals who found in each other what they could never find in anybody else – a kindred spirit, the other half of their souls.

Atlan had trusted Perry to read the signs and understand them, and it was clear why he hadn't just asked him to spend the night with him after the long time that had passed since their last passionate and desperate encounter. This was not how things worked between them, and Perry moved a little bit closer to lay a gentle hand on his friend's bare forearm.

There was no better way Perry could actually think of to start the new year other than renewing his strong bond with his other half, his beloved mate, both of them coming together in love and passion and celebrating life in all its beauty and depths, with the light and the darkness it brought to each and everyone.

The Arkonide eventually turned his head to meet his gaze, his red-golden eyes dry instead of teary like Perry had expected it. Arkonides produced a tear-like secretion when they were upset, anxious or very tensed, but Perry's presence had apparently served to calm him down enough that this was not the case this time. The Terranian lost himself in the depths of those beautiful eyes, their faces so close now that he could feel Atlan's warm breath ghosting over his cooler cheeks.

“One day I will tell you about him, Perry, but not tonight. Tonight is not the time for memories of the past. Tonight is the time for the present and the future, the future that lies in our hands. Will you be by my side tonight, be my present and my future and hold both in our hands together with me, Perry?”

Atlan's eyes seemed to look right into his soul, and Perry could see the shadows of the past and the loss he'd suffered slowly fading. He smiled, moving closer and tilting his head to the side ever so slightly.

“Gladly, my friend,” he whispered against Atlan's warm mouth, and when their lips touched after the long time they hadn't kissed, it felt like coming home. 

*~*~*

The good thing about Atlan's unusual clothing was that Perry got easily access to his warm skin underneath, his hands roaming and stroking reverently the smooth flesh over hard muscles, the landscape of Atlan's trained male body fascinating him as it felt so new after the long time he hadn't lain with another man. Atlan had been his last male lover, and Perry couldn't imagine sharing such passion and intimacy with any other man than him either.

Their tongues were circling each other, dancing the old courting dance, and Atlan made small noises deep in his throat that spoke of his desperate need to rebond with his beloved friend again, the one his soul had recognized as her true mate even when they had still been enemies and fought against each other at the beginning of their once so complicated acquaintance centuries ago, and which had turned into the strongest bond that existed between two living beings.

Perry had changed into more comfortable clothes when he'd left the party to follow Atlan, partly to cover his identity, partly because he'd instinctively known what would happen and still remembered what had happened to his gala uniform when they had become lovers for the very first time. The Arkonide tugged at his simple white shirt with impatient hands, and Perry shivered when the cool night air brushed over his bare skin despite the heat radiating from Atlan's body.

He started to move backwards in the direction of the balcony door with Atlan in his arms, and together they stumbled over the threshold and into the large bedchamber that belonged to Atlan's house. The fact that the Arkonide had built it so close to the place where three Roman legions had lost their lives and their eagles spoke volumes about the importance of those long gone events to his friend – and about the man Atlan had once loved with such passion. Whoever this Roman was the Arkonide had once known and loved, he was still a vivid part of Atlan's life, even though he belonged to a past far more than two thousand years ago.

The heavy leather belt that kept Atlan's tunic in place fell down onto the thick carpet when they made their way over to the large bed, and Perry's shirt followed soon after that, sharing the same fate as the white tunic with the broad purple band. They had to end their passionate kisses because of the laces that held the Roman footwear together, and Perry used the opportunity to get rid of his own shoes and socks. He was still wearing his dark jeans when they reached the bed, but Atlan made short work of it and pulled it over his narrow hips together with his briefs in one swift motion. The loincloth that had been hidden under the tunic was easy to remove, and both men sighed in relief when the last barrier between them was gone and they could feel each other skin to skin without any restrictions.

The sheets were cool and soft when Atlan pressed him down onto the mattress and crawled on top of him to claim his mouth in another heated kiss, his long white hair falling over his shoulders and covering his face. The silken strands smelled of the herbal shampoo the white-haired Arkonide still preferred over the synthetic products that had replaced the old fashioned soaps, shampoos and shower gels long ago, and Perry inhaled deeply the familiar and dearly missed scent and carded his fingers through the soft strands with rapt devotion.

“By all gods and ancestors, it has been so long, little barbarian, so incredibly long.” Atlan's voice sounded broken, raw with emotions he couldn't keep inside any longer. Not here in the privacy of his shelter, when Perry was the only one to witness his need for comfort and his longing for love. His trust that Perry would never use these rare moments of weakness and despair against him, but cherish them as the precious gift and treasure they actually were was a gift in itself that always made Perry feel humble and blessed. Here in Atlan's arms he could finally let his own guard down for a few precious hours as well, and he knew that his trust in his friend was cherished and treasured just as much.

“Far too long, old man. I hope that you still remember how to do this properly,” he murmured against Atlan's lips, swollen from their hungry kisses, and he arched his back when the Arkonide growled and trailed a damp trace of hot kisses along his jaw and down to his vulnerable throat to suck at his skin and leave a purple mark on his neck. Perry would need to use a dermal regenerator the next day to undo the damage, but tonight he would wear his lover's claim gladly.

“You bet I still do,” Atlan almost hissed when he drew back to regard the throbbing mark his lips and teeth had left on Perry's throat, his eyes shining in a dark golden color in his flushed face. He was so beautiful in his desire for Perry, looking like a a fierce ancient warrior, and Perry's throat tightened with the wave of deep love and desperate desire that was washing over him at the breathtaking sight. They looked each other deep in the eyes for a moment, and Perry could hear his own heartbeat drumming in his ears.

“Then what are you waiting for, Terranian prey?” he challenged the other man to ease the unbearable tension between them, using the nickname for his friend that never failed to make the Arkonide react the way Perry wanted him to. Atlan's growl sounded like the roar of a lion when he pressed his lips onto Perry's mouth again to swallow his breathless chuckle with his kiss, their hard cocks grinding against each other as they shifted on the mattress. They were both already slick with the pleasure their heated foreplay had milked from them, heat pooling deep in Perry's abdomen and making his mind spin with painful desire.

“Need you, Perry, need you so much,” Atlan croaked out, and Perry buried his fingers in his long white mane and dabbed soothing kisses all over his face. 

“And you will have me, my friend. I'm here, and I won't go anywhere. Take what you need, I want you to.”

His tender encouragement earned him another kiss. Atlan stretched his arm to reach for the small vial on the nightstand beside the bed, and Perry opened his thighs for him without hesitation. Later, when their first urgent need for one another was satisfied, there would be time for tender exploration, but right now, they needed to be as close to each other as two human beings could possibly be, and his longing to feel his beloved friend deep inside his aching body and re-connect with him made it easy for Atlan to prepare him for their first reunion after far too many years.

More deep kisses followed when the Arkonide finally searched his way inside, both gasping at the sensation of being so close. Perry's walls tightened around the passionate intruder, and he had to take a deep breath as he fought to relax and welcome his mate in his body and heart like he'd secretly longed to do for a long time. Atlan stilled above him, looking down at him with a mesmerized expression on his ageless male features, only his eyes showing his real age, bottomless orbs which had seen more than any other living being that had ever lived on Earth.

“Perry.” 

“Atlan.”

They had rarely ever used the famous three little words when they had been together in the past, but Perry knew what his friend wanted to express when he said his name in this special way, and it was the same for him. It had always been enough for them, though, and it would be enough tonight.

Atlan started to move when he felt his beloved friend relax beneath him with a small sigh, pushing into him and pulling out again in a slow and steady rhythm. Perry had expected him to be too impatient to go slow, and he smiled because his mate was still able to surprise him. But two could play the game, and he rolled them over with a sudden movement to press Atlan down onto the mattress and land on top of him. Perry pressed his heels into Atlan's thighs to keep him in place and straightened his back, and the new position drove the Arkonide's hard member even deeper into him than before, until Perry could feel him everywhere inside his body. He grabbed Atlan's hands at their wrists to pin them down on the pillow beside his head, and the other man let him take control of their first encounter after so many years without trying to win back the upper hand and just looked up at him.

“After all those years, you can still surprise me, little barbarian,” was all he said, and Perry gazed down at him with a predatory look in his eyes and stroked with his thumbs over the tender skin of Atlan's palms, pulling a heavy shiver from him with his caress. 

“That's a good thing, isn't it? Not that you'll grow tired of me one day, old man.”

Atlan's red-golden eyes were glowing with passion, and his nostrils flared when the scent of Perry's desire for him penetrated his senses.

“You don't need to fear that this will ever happen, Terranian. The universe might stop existing one day, but I will never grow tired of you. Not in this life – no matter how long it will actually be – and not in any other.”

Perry bent down to kiss him. “The same here, Arkonide. No matter how long I will live, I will always want you.” He started to move up and down, impaling himself on the proof of Atlan's strong desire for him again and again. They were both gasping, their bodies covered with a thin layer of sweat, even though the balcony door was still open and the cool night air blowing through it in a soft breeze. Perry couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so alive, every cell in his body humming and vibrating with pleasure and his body burning with his need for release. Atlan was watching him with hungry eyes, and his fingers flexed and clenched, but he didn't try to free his hands from the hard grip of Perry's hands still pinning him down.

They were both chasing their release in earnest now, Atlan's hips meeting Perry's thrusts with urgent need as he bucked them upwards in a frantic rhythm. Their groans and gasps were the only sounds filling the bedroom, and Perry realized that he would come untouched this time when everything inside his groin tightened with his approaching orgasm. Atlan grew harder inside him when he got closer and closer to the edge himself, his hard cock hitting the sensitive bundles of nerves deep inside Perry's channel with every move they made.

“Come for me, little barbarian, let go and come for me!” Atlan demanded breathlessly, and he tore his hands free and enclosed Perry's forearms in the same moment when his beloved friend lost his battle and came with a shudder and a single strangled cry of ecstasy, painting the Arkonide's abdomen and chest with milky stripes of his satisfaction.

Perry could feel Atlan's eyes on his face as he gave in to the sensations coursing through him, each new wave of ecstasy pulling another gasp from him, and he forced his eyes open again to watch his mate come undone beneath him as well. Atlan held his gaze when he arched his back from the mattress with one last hard thrust and started to spurt his seed against the cramping walls milking his climax from him, but his intense glance lost its sharpness when he succumbed to his feelings and savored his pleasure to the fullest.

For a short precious moment they were truly one, united in their pleasure, just Perry and Atlan, two immortal men who would give their lives for each other without thinking. Their cellular activators hanging around their necks on silver bands were pulsing in perfect syncs like their hearts were beating, and when Perry dropped down onto his friend and buried his face on Atlan's neck, the Arkonide wrapped his arms around his back and held him close to listen to their slowly calming breaths.

Here, in Atlan's arms, Perry felt at home, his usual restlessness a distant memory in the back of his mind for once. In the tender embrace of his friend and mate, he could rest and ignore the burden of responsibility that was always pressing down on his shoulders, day and night, and it was the same for Atlan. 

The new year was still young, the past one still present in their minds. But Atlan had been right when he'd said that they couldn't change the past – that they should never try to change the past but just accept it as a part of their lives which had brought them to this special and precious moment, to the time and place where they were now. 

It was the present and the future that lay in their hands to form them and make them build a world that was worth living in for everyone in this galaxy, and with Atlan by his side, Perry Rhodan didn't have any doubts that this dream would always come true.


End file.
